Editor’s Note: This article is the first in a series on work ethics. It was written by Gary Greubel of Waupaca Foundry.

As the New Year arrives, it is common practice for everyone to establish commitments to improve themselves, their place of employment, or provide service to their community to enrich the lives of those around them.

Violent actions cannot be tolerated, even when they occur against those who invoke ideas of hate. A video floating around social media sites shows well-known alt-right personality Richard Spencer being struck in the face with a dissenter’s fist during a video interview with a member of the press. As it turns out, this was the second time that day he was punched in the face, though there are only photos of that instance.

There’s a long list of things we aren’t supposed to talk about in polite conversation. I like to think this column has been more-or-less polite for most of its existence, but there have been some exceptions.

Hallmarking a new beginning, with memories for many in Tell City, social media was abuzz in recent weeks to express both sadness and understating as a presumed demolition began on an old storefront along the 500 Black of Main Street. And as information now indicates not a razing but a rehab of the structure which is taking place just a stones throw from the News office, it causes pause for me thinking about the countless hours I spent there.

If you watched Donald Trump’s recent press conference, you may have overlooked a telling and worrisome moment. A CNN reporter tried to ask the president-elect about the extent of his ties to Russian officials. “No! Not you. No! Your organization is terrible,” responded Mr. Trump, and moved on to the next question.

Perhaps this can be a reminder of the payoff of “putting up” the garden in spring, summer and fall: we have extended our homegrown eating pleasure into the winter months with some basic preservation methods.

If you froze, dried, canned or otherwise preserved fresh fruits and vegetables in 2016, do not forget about them (or horde them for some unreasonable amount of time.)

Republican plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) threaten the health care of 30 million Americans and would erode some rare progress made recently to reverse America’s growing economic inequality.